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| False Heads - L-R Barney Nash, Luke Griffiths and Jake Elliott © Luke Nugent Photography |
When The Guardian recently delivered its
doom and gloom verdict on British guitar music declaring it ‘dead’, the community
in and around specialist gig promoter This Feeling reacted with passion and
some outrage.
False Heads from east London are one of the
bands with a strong affiliation to This Feeling and they are in the process of taking
their music into a wider setting.
Being one of the finest up and coming guitar
bands around just now, definitely helps. Iggy Pop is just one key figure in
music who has been singing their praises for quite some time now.
Guitarist and vocalist Luke Griffiths,
drummer Barney Nash and bassist Jake Elliott are doing their bit for guitar
music and are deservedly getting a positive response in return for their
efforts.
When Iggy Pop world-premiered the band’s brilliant
new single Retina on his BBC Radio 6 Music show Iggy Pop Confidential earlier
this month there was a great sense of excitement.
But via 6 Music and Radio 1, the BBC, is
not the only broadcaster who has been showing its support for False Heads,
SiriusXM, and more precisely, The Rodney Bingenheimer Show, also had Retina clearly
marked for a premiere as part of its schedule.
There is more than just good reason for the
enthusiasm. Retina delivers on more level than one. It is a really good tune, there
is that catchy guitar riff coupled with an appropriate dose of Kurt Cobain-esque
vocals. If you take Nirvana and
the vibe from the 1990s Seattle music scene, add a strong contemporary edge
then you get an idea of what Retina is all about.
Luke’s distinct vocals and English accent have
become key components and establish recognisable characteristics throughout
False Heads’ repertoire.
The band’s popularity and reputation is growing
not just in a niche, guitar music community, but is reaching more mainstream
territory, showing just how much the three members are progressing.
They have just returned from a successful trip
to Manchester, they were at Off the Record, the New Music and Conference Showcase,
where they took part in a music industry panel discussion and they spoke about their
career to date.
Luke: Having a conference geared at truly
helping bands take a step up in their career shows that there are still people
in the industry that really want decent music to come through and get a leg up.
It was a really inspiring day and the band
got on really well, they managed to do some networking and had some ‘important
conversations’.
Luke: The interviewer asked some interesting and engaging questions and we spoke about our journey so far. We
got a great response and I hope the people there took something out of it.
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| The group is well-known for their intensity, energy and passion when they play live © Laurine Payet |
The band has also just completed a UK tour
which included playing in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a great experience that
has made the city one of False Heads’ key gig locations.
There is interest from majors and small
independent labels but the band is no desperate rush to sign a record deal just
for the sake of it. Things have got to be as close to perfect as possible.
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| False Heads' popularity continues to grow © Luke Nugent Photography |
In the early days they almost signed a
deal, which essentially would have jeopardised things far too soon, before they even began.
There is a perhaps a slight misconception
that signing a record deal is the ultimate goal and achievement in a band’s
career, but above anything else, False Heads’ focus is on making really good
music and continue to play the best live shows possible
They strongly believe that by focusing on
those things, everything else will come together at a natural pace. For now
they are happy to be independent and just focus purely on their music.
The band has established a reputation as a dynamic
live band and built a strong following of fans and supporters around the UK. Most
of their songs are created in a ‘live environment’ so to speak.
Barney: When you are busy recording in the studio and decide to go and play live, it will quickly become apparent if you are no good at playing your instrument.
Barney: In the studio the result can end up sounding alright because there are ways you can get around it. There will usually be a producer and you can edit your songs. But equally, if or when you find yourself in a live setting and it turns out you cannot actually do the thing you are supposed to be able to do, it becomes a problem.
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| The band enjoy focusing purely on their music and live performances |
Barney: When you are busy recording in the studio and decide to go and play live, it will quickly become apparent if you are no good at playing your instrument.
Barney: In the studio the result can end up sounding alright because there are ways you can get around it. There will usually be a producer and you can edit your songs. But equally, if or when you find yourself in a live setting and it turns out you cannot actually do the thing you are supposed to be able to do, it becomes a problem.
Being a three piece probably makes it
easier to work closely together on songs and the connection between the band
members is absolute key. Rehearsing near the M25 in the outskirts of east London
on an industrial estate adds some authenticity. The band’s video for Thick Skin
was recorded there.
Barney: The context which we now create
songs in has been integral to what has been produced. We used to rehearse in
our studio and we moved literally into a shipping container and that is where
we rehearse now and some of the songs that come out of there are a bit wild so
to speak.
Barney: As a live band we have got some way
to go, we are only just getting into the realms of where we want to be but that
is a good thing, we will never achieve everything and that is kind of a nice
though but also a bit annoying. Actually, come to think of it, we will get
there eventually.
That False Heads will ‘get there’ is beyond
doubt, they are already well on their way, and they have taken the first giant
steps on their exciting journey.
Luke: There is definitely chemistry between
us and we have invested a lot in the music as much each other. We work hard, we
practice a lot and writing good songs is critical to us. I totally believe that
comes out when we play live.
False Heads share the bill with Josh Homme,
Frank Turner and Band of Skulls at A Peaceful Noise at London’s ULU on Saturday
the 25th November 2017